The Centre for Disability Studies and Action, established within the School of Social Work, in 2006. It envisages to focus on issues and concerns of people with disabilities through teaching, training, research and demonstration; to work with, through, and for persons with disabilities and all stakeholders in this field, so as to enhance capacities in working towards an equitable and just society which will ensure equalization of opportunities, full participation and protection of dignity and rights of persons with disabilities.
The 'Centre for Disability Studies and Action' is the first of its kind in a University set up through starting a M.A. post graduate programme in Disability studies and Action in Social Work. The UGC has advised the centre to initiate Disability Studies in other universities through consultation. The centre focus is on developing social work practice around the lives of persons with disability with rights, strengths based perspective and equal partnership with persons with disability to facilitate multisectorial interventions. The centre currently working in coherence with the philosophy of 'United Nations Convention for Rights of Persons with Disability' slogan 'Nothing about us without all of us' and working on larger goal of Facilitating Inclusion and Diversity' of persons with Disability in Indian Context.

As the major focus of the centre is human rights and strengths based approach using social discourse, empowerment based , anti-oppressive social work, and people centered partnership practice to develop knowledge around disability studies with voices of people with disability. This may be done through evidence based research, building strategies alliances with non-governmental organizations for effective practices towards inclusive policy. The thrust area is of the centre is to train a cadre of social workers professionals in the field of disability studies at various levels with capability & strengths based approach & Rights based perspective, also Undertake research on current issues ,emerging needs & socio-political context of persons with disability With rights based lens & develop relevant evidence based practice. Access Audits are conducted on regular basis to map barriers faced by persons with disability and working on issues of students with disability in higher education through Field Action Project is one of the trust area of the centre. Build strategic alliances with various stakeholders for consultation, capacity building & to demonstrate effective practice, Approach its work with, through and for people with disabilities & various stakeholders with the human rights & strengths perspectives using social discourse & partnership practice. By developing Field Action Project for demonstration and action. Sensitization and awareness building of professionals regarding disability issues using the rights & social discourse practice perspectives & Capacity Building for social workers, Continuing Rehabilitation Education sponsored by RCI are also the trust areas of the centre. The centre has two post graduate programme of its kind in India. The MA in Disability Studies & Action in Social Work a full time masters programme to work in disability sector where 7 batches are passed out. The another is one year Post Graduate Diploma in Inclusive Education.

Major conferences organised by the Centre for Disability Studies and Action is 'International Conference on Disability Rights, Accessibility and Inclusion in India' 15-17 April 2016 organised at TISS in collaboration with Human Rights Law Network India, International Senior Lawyers Project UK, Apnalaya Mumbai and I Access Rights Mission Project which brought together key stakeholders nationally and internationally, including human rights professionals persons with disabilities, senior lawyers, academics and activists. This three-day conference provided a forum for dialogue and learning to build capacity on the use of law to further the rights of persons with disability in India. to discuss and deliberate on current disability laws & litigations towards justice and the rights based framework and context of disability in higher education.

Second major one is 'National Conference were organised on 'Paradigm Shift in Inclusive Schooling' in Jan 2017 by the Centre in collaboration with The Brotherhood, New Delhi were participants presented papers on inclusive schooling and inclusion in the area of education to bring together all stakeholder for inclusion of children with disability.
The Centre has two Field Action Projects. First project is 'I-Access' Rights Mission:TISS initiative towards inclusion & accessibility of students with disability in higher education. The I Access project has developed the first of its kind document 'call for action' cum guidelines for universities on accessibility and inclusion of students with disability and disabled friendly measures required at higher education & university level. Its also took policy initiative to bring out (GR) Government Regulation on Students with 21 categories of Disability and their examination in higher education with work with Government of Maharashtra, Ministry of Higher Education.
Second Field Action Project is I-CBR community based rehabilitation to work for persons with disability in rural areas of Karjat. The project is dedicated to work on persons with disability at rural area with developing need based interventions to individuals and families.
Research and action based projects involves Aapti Project focusing on Disability and Disaster work which is a research project, as part of field work placement various need based interventions were done with collaboration with NSS volunteers at the field site of Bhiwandi.

Another action based project, 'Micro level Planing of Disability in M ward' (MLPD) started in 2014 As an outcome of this project the Early Intervention Centre has been established in Mankhurd on March 15 2017 with collaboration with AWMH Maharashtra to provide free rehabilitation services to children with disability 0-6 years of age. This project also work on training of anganwadis and community health volunteers and other stakeholders towards early intervention and prevention of disability. Another study initiated at the Centre on 'Governance and Convergence towards inclusion of Persons with Disability' in every government programme and flagship schemes through research work in Amravati and Melghat region using the CBR Matrix. State Consultation on PWD organised on regular basis to map emerging issues of persons with disability and develop strategic plan of action.

Collaboration

International collaboration is established by Centre on fellowship on Inclusive Education with University of Minnesota.

National level Inter university collaboration has been done with CDSA-CDLA between Centre for Disability Studies and Action and The Centre for Disability Law and Advocacy (CDLA), National Law University Odisha, Cuttack on working towards research on the legal and policy issues related to disability by developing 'Journal on Disability Studies and Policy'. The MOU has been signed on this for further action. Formal collaboration is also done with AWMH Maharashtra and Micro Level Planing of Disability to work on Early Intervention Research Project on Disability in M Ward. Centre faculty also initiated Mental Health Project in M Ward.

One of the important aspect is Centre Faculty is part of State Planning Commission of Chattisgadh and directly involved in planning aspects with various stakeholders in developing interventions and started Screening of persons with disability through training and capacity building.

Centre faculty developed the curriculum of 'Online Disability Social Work' for field practioners and social workers working in the field for long years to strengthen their theoretical knowledge base and inculcate sound interdisciplinary field practice in current context with innovation.

Centre faculty also developed newer courses for all disciplines on Secular ethics, Critical Disability Theory, Design for Inclusive Environments and Accessibility implemented since 2016.

Vision: To focus on issues & concerns of people with disabilities through teaching, training, research and demonstration; to work with,
through, and for persons with disabilities and all stakeholders

• to enhance capacities of Persons with disabilities towards an equitable
• and just society to ensure equalization of opportunities, full participation
• and protection of dignity and rights of persons with disability .
• Mission: To develop of a cadre of personnel with specialized competency in
• working with, through and for people with disabilities and various
• stakeholders with the human rights and strengths using social discourse and
• anti-oppressive and empowerment based partnership practice.This may be
• done through evidence based research, building strategies alliances with
• non-governmental organizations for effective practices towards
• inclusive policy

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

• To develop insight and knowledge on diverse needs of persons with disability and applying theory to practice to work at micro, mezo and macro level with the strengths and rights based social work practice
• To gain knowledge and skills towards need based interventions for and with persons with disability and thier accessibility for facilitating inclusion in society.
• To be exposed to various perspectives in understanding disability, persons with disability and their families within their varied theorical contexts and environments.
• To apprehend, critique and analyze the complexities of the social realities of the field of disability, persons with disability and their families, and the range of related issues in their systemic and structural contexts.
• To learn to be self aware, to innovate and to evolve an anti-oppressive, empowerment based micro and macro partnership practice for working with, through and for people with disability and various stakeholders.